


Protective

by chailattemusings



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Jealousy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-10
Updated: 2013-11-09
Packaged: 2018-01-01 00:57:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1038441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chailattemusings/pseuds/chailattemusings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray and Joel finally make their relationship public. Ray is pleasantly surprised by the reactions of his coworkers, but Joel gets the short end of the stick when everyone assumes he’s going to break Ray’s heart, and tell him as much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ray stared at the front door of the Roosterteeth office, swallowing hard. The bright sun beat down on his dark hair. Both the temperature and the fingers clasped over his own made him sweat. He turned to look at his boyfriend, eyes filled with concern.

“It’ll be fine.” Joel looked him in the eye and smiled. “Relax.” His fingers squeezed Ray’s tightly, his biceps flexing. Ray chuckled at that. Joel’s insane good looks were one of the many reasons he loved the man, as much as Ray didn’t want to be superficial. And he knew, though Joel was trying to comfort him, that the words of assurance were as much for himself as they were for Ray.

They’d been standing outside for the last ten minutes, everyone else already at work. They arrived late on purpose with the hope of everyone being present for the news. Normally Ray walked to work on his own, ‘conveniently’ entering five minutes behind Joel almost every morning.

Today they came in together.

“I know,” Ray answered, turning back to the door. “I’m not too worried. It’s just— the newness, I guess?” Ray shrugged, his heart thrumming in his chest. They couldn’t delay any longer, not just because it was hard for the men to avoid sharing secret glances and brief touches among their coworkers, but because they had been holding hands for five of their ten minutes and someone surely saw them through a window by now.

With a deep breath, Ray went for the door. Joel walked beside him nonchalantly, swinging their hands a bit as they moved. The temperature dropped the second the got inside, though Ray still felt like he had to sweat. Joel sensed the tension, and squeezed his hand again.

They expected to be assaulted by Kara the minute they walked in. She watched anyone who entered and left with eagle eyes, delegating news to anyone who needed it like an attentive mother. Ray automatically looked at her desk, an answer on his lips for her inevitable questions. But his eyes met an empty chair.

The two men paused. Joel glanced around. Kara wasn’t the only one missing, there was neither hide nor hair of anyone. He let go of Ray’s hand to peer into Gus’ office. Empty. He quirked an eyebrow at Ray, who shrugged.

“Maybe something’s happening.” Ray looked as well, but the lobby was deserted. He could hear chatter and movement in other parts of the building. “We should get to work, I guess.”

“Okay.” Joel leaned in close, kissing Ray on the cheek and making the Puerto Rican blush. “I’m not holding back today,” he whispered huskily. Ray shivered at the feel of Joel’s breath in his ear, and willed himself not to be aroused. Now was not the time for that.

“See you.” Ray smiled at him, and went down the hall to the Achievement Hunter office. Joel waved, and parted ways with him to go to his own office.

The other five Hunters were seated at their given places, the desks, or in Ryan’s case, the couch. They barely moved when Ray walked in, not so much as a hello. Ray’s brow creased with curiosity. He sat at his desk, removing his jacket, and said loudly, “Hey, guys,” to bring them out of whatever reverie they were in. He only got mumbled replies. The atmosphere felt restrained. Ray frowned, and said, “All right, what’s up? Is something going on?”

A few exchanged glances. Michael and Gavin giggled at each other. Ryan held back what had to be the world’s biggest grin. Jack chuckled to himself and nudged Geoff, who choked on his own laugh. Ray smiled nervously in reaction, eyes flipping between them all. “Um, am I missing something?”

Michael turned to him with a giant smirk. “You would know more about it than the rest of us.”

Ray opened his mouth to ask him what he meant, when it hit him. Kara was missing from her desk, which meant she had something important to tell someone. Something she saw through the glass front door.

Granted, it was what he and Joel sort of intended. They came in together expecting Kara to be the first they would tell. They hadn’t accounted for her leaving her post to spread the news.

“Oh.” Ray felt a blush creeping up his neck. “I guess that’s out, then.”

“Joel Heyman,” Gavin said, giggling. “He’s the last one we’d expect.”

“Yeah, well.” Ray turned to his computer. “I’m irresistible.”

More laughter and smiles from the guys, with none of the awkwardness Ray thought might come up. The first step in making themselves public went better than he expected. Joel wasn’t one to announce details about his personal life. Ray never talked much about something unless someone asked. If Kara was spreading the news, it made it easier for the both of them.

After the predictable bits of teasing and laughs from the guys, the room settled down. Geoff was setting up for a Let’s Play to get it done as soon as possible. Ray opened the game and synced the video and audio programs. When everyone else did the same, they hyped themselves up and started recording.

That took an hour and a half, and by the end Ray had to stand and stretch. His mind went to Joel, wondering what he was doing. The past few months, he had to hold back from visiting him during the day, settling for brief chats at lunch and meeting outside the parking lot after work to avoid the stares. Ray glanced at the clock, and tapped his fingers against the desk. If everyone knew, it wouldn’t hurt anything to leave, for just a few minutes.

“I’ll be back,” he said, mostly to himself, and stood to leave.

“Don’t spend too long making out with your boyfriend,” Geoff teased.

“Only a couple minutes, I promise,” Ray shot back, ducking out of the room.

When he was sure Ray couldn’t hear them, Geoff spun his chair around. He crossed his hands in his lap and waited for the others to look at him. They felt his stare and turned their chairs, first Jack, followed by Ryan, Michael, and lastly Gavin. When Geoff felt he had everyone’s attention, he said, “I don’t normally give a shit about your personal lives. Do whatever you want. But.” His gaze flicked to the door and back. “Ray’s the brightest little beam of ethnic sunshine in here. And I’ve known Joel a long time, he’s pretty blunt about what he wants.”

“So what?” Gavin said, annoyed at having to pause his work. If two coworkers wanted to shag, he had nothing against it.

Geoff glared at him. “Shut up for a minute, Gav. My point is, don’t mess with either of them too much. It probably took guts for them to start being open. Teasing is fine, being an unsupportive asshole isn’t.”

The men nodded, understanding that Geoff had entered protective father mode. It happened whenever someone at work he considered a close friend was in danger. No doubt he would tear out the throat of anyone who caused his employees severe pain.

With that issue out in the open, Geoff spun his chair back to his desk. Michael and Jack went back to work immediately. Ryan stared apprehensively at Geoff for a minute, and went back to syncing his recordings. Gavin glanced at the doorway Ray disappeared through, before he focused again.

* * *

Ray sought Joel out as casually as he could. This turned out to be not much, hurrying through the halls to find his desk and surprise him. He poked his head into the room where Joel worked, and found him buried neck deep in his desk drawer.

“Whatcha looking for?” Ray said as he sauntered up behind him. Joel started and hit his head on the edge of the open drawer. Rubbing his chin, he turned around and tried to frown at Ray. He held it for only a moment before it turned into a grin, and Joel stood to meet his eyes.

“Some papers,” he said, waving dismissively at the drawer. “What’s up, kid?”

Ray warily eyed the other people in the room. Gus stood at one of the desks, talking to Kerry. Monty was in sleep mode in the corner. One of the interns bustled about, his head tucked low to avoid eye contact with anyone he had yet to meet. Ray faced Joel and smiled gently.

“Nothing,” he said, inching closer and brushing their hands together. “I just wanted to visit.”

Joel returned the smile and took Ray’s hand. “A nice surprise,” he admitted, “but I have work to do, and you’re a bit of a distraction.” Joel moved to sit back in his chair and lightly kicked the open drawer. “Unlike you Achievement Hunters, we have designated schedules around here.”  
Ray grinned and sat on the edge of Joel’s desk, swinging his legs as much as he could with the solid wood drawers behind him. “Hey, we have schedules, too. I just wanted to take a few minutes to say hi.” He stuck out his bottom lip to pout. “Is this any way to treat me after I’ve been so thoughtful?”

Joel only laughed and shook his head, diving back into the drawer to find what he needed. Ray laughed with him, calm and easy. He thought being open at work would feel stressed, and it did a little at first. Being with Joel, though, teasing each other and showing little bits of affection, even with other people around them, was simpler than Ray anticipated. All his boyfriend had to do was beam him that special smile, and the fluttering of Ray’s heart settled, the tingling nervousness in his fingers vanishing to be replaced with warmth.

“Hey, lovebirds.” Gus was suddenly beside them, smacking Ray on the head with a manila folder. Ray frowned, and Joel looked up from his task, eying the folder in Gus’ hands before looking him straight on. “Burnie wants you in his office,” Gus continued. “If you have enough time to chat, you have time to meet with him.” Without another word, Gus turned around and left, presumably to bitch to someone else about something that needed doing.

Ray sighed and hopped off Joel’s desk. This was the less fun part of outing themselves. Relationships between coworkers could be hard and cause liabilities— Burnie would want them to sign a form, no doubt. He turned to look at Joel, who tugged the papers he finally found from the drawer and set them on his desk, before taking Ray’s hand in his. They looked at one another a long moment, before they set off to Burnie’s office.


	2. Chapter 2

“Is it true?”

Barbara’s voice caught Gus’ attention as he talked heavily with the podcast crew. Lindsay couldn’t find the email with the compressed audio file for the iTunes release. Gus held up a finger to indicate he was busy, spending a minute in Lindsay’s email inbox, and found the email hiding in the spam folder. “Change your settings again, we updated our server and it might have messed up a few things,” he told Lindsay. He turned to face Barbara, who had crossed her arms and tapped a foot on the ground in mock impatience. “Okay, what now?”

“Is it true?” Barbara repeated. “That Joel and Ray are dating?”

“Oh, yeah, that. I guess so.” Gus shrugged. “They were flirting at Joel’s desk earlier, and supposedly Kara saw them holding hands in the parking lot this morning. Right now I’ve got shit to do and I couldn’t really care less.” Gus glanced at his watch for emphasis. “Ask them if they don’t mind being on the podcast this week, though. The fans will go nuts over this.”

Barbara nodded confirmation and spun around to leave. Gus held the most pertinent information in the office, and if he confirmed the relationship, it had to be true. She made her way toward the lobby, intent on squeezing Kara for details.

Burnie was at his desk, waiting for them. Ray opened the door and motioned for Joel to enter, like a true gentleman, and closed it quietly behind him. Burnie looked up from a pile of papers and grinned at them. “Hey, guys,” he said, and gestured to the chairs on the other side of the desk. “Sit down.”

They obeyed, planting themselves in the seats. Ray put his hands on the arms and fidgeted a bit. Joel, smooth as could be, sat near perfectly still and watched Burnie put his papers to the side. “So,” Burnie said, steepling his fingers. “The buzz around here is that you two are dating.”

Ray flushed more pink than he should have. Joel merely blinked at Burnie before nodding once.

“Well there’s the formal stuff.” Burnie grabbed a couple sheets and shoved them forward. “You two need to sign some stuff so you can’t sue Roosterteeth if you guys break up. Just as a safety measure,” he added, when Ray frowned at him. He nudged the papers again. Joel leaned over the desk and scanned them. Several paragraphs of legal jargon basically boiled down to, their company wasn’t responsible for anything that happened between them just because Ray and Joel both happened to work there. Joel grabbed a pen from Burnie’s desk and signed both sheets. He offered it to Ray.

The Puerto Rican looked the papers over as well, though not as thoroughly. Joel nodded again when Ray looked to him for assurance, and he signed them.

“Good.” Burnie took the papers back and tucked them into a drawer. “Now, Ray, I need to talk to Joel for a minute. You probably have work to do anyway, right?”

It wasn’t a question. Ray’s eyes flicked between them, and he sighed. “Yeah,” he agreed. “I’ll see you later, Joel.” Ray smiled and waved as he opened the door.

“Bye.” Joel waved back and waited until Ray was out of sight before turning back to Burnie. “What else do you need, boss?”

Burnie paused a moment, licking his lips. He glanced at the door and back to Joel. “This is off company record,” he said quickly. “I wanted to mention a few things on my mind.”

Joel shrugged in response and leaned back in his chair. Burnie took another moment to collect himself, and looked Joel directly in the eye. “Ray is a good kid,” he began. “He did a lot of work on the community site before we got him here. The fans like him. His happiness gives him the energy for videos which gets us a lot of views.”

“Right,” Joel agreed, unsure of where this was going.

Burnie played with his fingers on the surface of his desk. “No one wants to see you or Ray unhappy. Especially since you’re, ah, a lot older, and you don’t date much.”

That gave Joel’s heart a twinge. Their age difference was what made him hesitate for weeks before he got the courage to ask Ray on a date. The younger man spent a great many days telling Joel how attractive he was and how he didn’t need to worry about age because they loved each other and that was what mattered.

“My major concern is this.” Burnie took a deep breath and steepled his fingers again, an action he liked when he was thinking hard. “Ray is young and optimistic. It’s a bit obvious you’ve been together a while, but he might not know how to handle a serious relationship.”

“Ray’s been fantastic,” Joel said immediately. “He knows better than anyone how to make me happy.”

He spoke with the kind of passion Joel reserved for his rants on stocks and gold, and Burnie’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Be that as it may,” Burnie continued. “You’ve been around the block a few times. I don’t wanna assume anything, but I think you’d be more likely to hurt Ray than the other way around.”

The topic dawned on Joel, and he narrowed his eyes, fists clenching the arms of the chair. “Ray isn’t your responsibility. I treat him just fine.”

“I’m not- I’m not saying anything.” Burnie held up his hands defensively. “I’m not saying anything, Joel.”

“You’re implying I’ll end up hurting him.” Joel stood quickly, giving Burnie a cold stare. “I- I love Ray. I’m not stupid enough to- to do that to him.” He couldn’t help the stutter, his worlds tumbling over themselves as his thoughts went to their first major argument last month, the look on Ray’s face when Joel screamed at him. He never wanted to see that kind of heartbreak again, and he didn’t need his boss to remind him of how much they all cared about Ray.

Burnie met Joel’s stare with equal intensity, refusing to back down. “I just wanted to get my thoughts out there, Joel. He’s just a kid.”

Joel leaned forward, hands slamming on the desk and forcing a jump from Burnie. “I know,” he growled. “And as long as we’re off company record, you can go fuck yourself.” He turned quickly and wrenched the door open, slamming it closed behind him. Burnie calmly watched him go, and sighed.

“Those two idiots better know what they’re doing.”

Ray made his way back to the Achievement Hunter office, stepping in on a quiet atmosphere. Most of them were editing or syncing files, filling the lull before lunch time. Ray moved to his desk and sat heavily, wondering what Joel and Burnie were talking about. Him, obviously, considering the force in Burnie’s voice when he asked him to leave. Ray toyed with the plastic rose on his desk, flipping through different possibilities.

Burnie could be telling Joel not to fraternize at work, but the older man always said he liked having a private life separate from work. As fun as it was to talk and hold hands without worrying about suspicion, Joel would probably turn Ray down for any impromptu make out sessions. There was plenty of time at either of their homes for that.

Maybe they were going into detail about the papers they signed. Burnie must know Ray wouldn’t care about that. But as he played with his rose, Ray couldn’t picture anything besides PDA and liability the papers would address. He bit his tongue lightly and scrunched his brow in thought.

“Ray?”

He looked up at the sound of Geoff’s voice. His boss had turned his chair to face Ray’s desk, holding a concerned expression. In fact, it might have been the first time Ray saw him look so concerned. “Yeah?” he replied, tapping his feet against the carpet.

Geoff shrugged, a sign to drop any serious notes of conversation. “You looked worried, that’s all. Everything okay?”

“Yup.” Ray picked at his plastic rose again. “Just lemme get back to work. Sorry for slacking.” He flipped his chair around quickly and shoved his thoughts to the side. There were games to play and videos to make. His relationship could wait.

Geoff stared for another few minutes, and left Ray to himself.

It was a moment later the loud slam of a door rung throughout the building. Ray, Geoff, Jack, and Gavin all flinched. Ryan and Michael didn’t move, though the former removed his headphones to glance at the door. Michael stayed put, his eyes trained on his monitor.

“What the hell was that?” Geoff asked, leaning back to look at the door with Ryan.

The group collectively shrugged, save for Michael who still appeared oblivious. Gavin poked him in the arm, and the redhead took his headphones off with a frown. “I heard it, Gavin, I just don’t give a shit,” he said quickly, and replaced his headphones. Gavin left him to his work and glanced at the doorway with everybody else.

When no one came in to explain and no further ruckus sounded, the men went back to their tasks. Ray stared a moment longer, because the slam sounded like it came from the section of the building where Burnie resided and he hoped neither he nor Joel did something stupid. Another minute passed and nothing came up. Ray hesitated, and turned to his station. Hopefully it was an accident.


	3. Chapter 3

Joel focused as best he could on his work, Burnie’s concerned words slashing through every thought. Ray was fine. They were fine. There was no need to tell Joel to be careful with their relationship because he and Ray were fine and Joel was taking the situation too seriously. He paused at his desk, took a deep breath, and exhaled.

The first thing he did when lunch time came was bolt from the room to the Achievement Hunter headquarters. Screw being the bigger man and not being petty about a few words, he would visit Ray and prove they were just fine. There was no danger of Joel hurting him, accidental or not.

Feet pounding down the hall and drawing a few stares, Joel lost all sense of his fury when he met Geoff face to face just outside the door.

“Hey,” the tattooed man said, crossing his arms. “What’s your hurry?”

“Nothing,” Joel replied quickly, and cursed himself for the suspicious behavior. “I just wanted to take Ray out for lunch, that’s all.”

“Mm.” Geoff stroked his beard thoughtfully, standing solid in front of the door. Joel made to open it, and Geoff moved with him, blocking his path. “Was that you that slammed the door?” Geoff asked casually, as if he were asking about the weather. “It happened a few minutes after Ray came back from his little visit with you.”

“No— I mean, yeah, but it wasn’t a big deal.” Joel sucked in breath through his nose. “Burnie just— said something that made me mad.”

“About Ray?” Geoff quirked an eyebrow. Joel looked away, guilt evident on his face. “Look,” Geoff continued. “I know it’s your first day ‘out’ and it’s cute that you guys are in love and whatever, but if somebody says something you don’t like, you gotta learn not to take it rough.”

“It’s nothing—” Joel tried to start.

“Nah, it’s something.” Geoff shook his head and chuckled. “You’re wound pretty tight today. Take a second to calm down, and then you and your boyfriend can go have a romantic afternoon and get back here in a timely fashion.” He turned the knob and gave Joel a mock salute, going into the office. From inside, Joel heard him call, “Lunch time! Who wants to get burgers with me?”

Despite the sarcasm in Geoff’s voice when he said it, Joel took the advice and tried to wind down. Burnie only meant well. It was their first day as a public couple. They both had certain expectations that needed to be put away. Joel clenched his fists, and opened the door.

Ray looked up immediately, hoping to see his boyfriend cross the threshold and breaking into a grin when he did. He leaped from his chair and crossed the room to give Joel a hug, taking in his scent and the feel of his chest beneath the sweatshirt. “Lunch?” Ray asked, ignoring the stares from the others.

“Yeah, yeah.” Joel put a hand in Ray’s hair, keeping his eyes low. “Let’s go.”

They left just ahead of Achievement gang, all but Ray deciding to eat out together. Ray jumped into the passenger side of Joel’s car and waited eagerly for him to get in. Before Joel could even put the key in, Ray grabbed him and kissed him hard.

It always happened the first moment they could be alone after work, and Joel should have seen it coming. Knowing they were less than a minute away and not being able to see each other was the worst part of working together. He cupped Ray’s cheek and leaned forward, reveling in the soft touch and taste of Ray’s lips, wonderful even as his skin grew hot in a car that sat baking in the sun all morning. He broke it quickly to grab the key again and start the engine. “Miss me?” he asked, as they pulled out.

“Yeah,” Ray admitted with a grin. “I was worried, too.” He paused. “I heard a door slamming. It sounded like Burnie’s.”

Joel flinched and sighed. “That was my fault. Burnie … said some stuff I didn’t like.”

“Like what?” Ray didn’t hesitate to ask, watching Joel’s expression carefully. Joel gripped the wheel tight and frowned. In hindsight, it was an overreaction, and Ray shouldn’t have to deal with his absurdities. He glanced at the younger man, his open and curious eyes, and sighed.

“A lot of stuff,” Joel started, as they turned into the parking lot of a pizza joint. “Basically, though, he reminded me how important you are to the company, and that I should avoid doing anything to hurt you.” He shrugged and unbuckled his belt, stepping out of the car. Ray followed, taking his hand when the stood close to walk to the restaurant. Joel squeezed his hand and said, “I didn’t like that he, you know, implied I might hurt you.”

Ray paused, and smiled, squeezing Joel’s hand in return. “Burnie’s just being protective. Geoff does that, too. We’re lucky enough that our coworkers are like family. They want the best for us.”

That was a perspective Joel hadn’t thought of. He replayed the scene with Burnie in his mind, as a server led them to a table in the crowded building. Burnie wanted the best for them. Huh.

“I like you, kid,” Joel said, wrapping his arm around Ray in the small corner booth. “You always look on the bright side.”

Ray laughed and took Joel’s arm in both hands, pulling it around his neck like a scarf. “YOLO is a better saying than you’d think. Besides, somebody in this relationship needs to be an optimist.”

Joel grinned and put a hand on Ray’s head, ruffling his hair playfully. “And I’ll be the realist who predicts when the stock market crashes again.”

***

Joel apologized to Burnie when they returned from lunch. He was forgiven immediately, and he returned to his work feeling better than he had that morning. Ray plopped himself in his desk after a short goodbye to Joel, humming with the thrill of going out to lunch without worry about being caught by anyone. Finally coming out was working fantastically so far, and Ray didn’t want the happiness to end.

“You look pleased,” Michael said, turning his computer back on and sliding Ray a smile. “Good lunch?”

“The best,” Ray agreed, and rested his hands on the back of his head.

“So, Ray, how long has this been a thing?” Gavin asked, leaning in his chair to look at him. Always the one to ask too many questions.

Ray played with the toys on his desk while he thought. Joel never concerned himself with dates and anniversaries, and there were several times that could count as their ‘official’ start. It could be the day Joel asked him out, trying to play it cool and coming off as incredibly nervous. It could be the day of their first date a week later. It could be the day they first slept together a couple weeks after that. Ray pursed his lips and spun his chair in a circle. “A few months,” he settled on, which could be true no matter what.

“Bloody hell, I can’t believe you hid it that long.” Gavin ran a hand through his hair and gave Ray a cheeky grin. “You’re not one for subtlety.”

To that, he had no answer, and Ray chose to turn back to his work.

That was the biggest issue between them, after Joel’s age. They bickered for a long time about when to tell their coworkers. Firstly, Burnie was right about liability. He had to know about them sooner or later for legal reasons. Secondly, Ray never did hide his life, at least not on purpose. He might not blurt everything, but if someone asked, he answered honestly. Joel, on the other hand, liked keeping things to himself. Ray wanted to tell everyone after they started having sex. Joel argued it and they didn’t agree on it for some time.

Maybe that was why he got wounded when Burnie talked to him. Joel was nothing if not passionate about what he cared for, and someone hassling about the relationship would only confirm his reasons for not saying anything.

“Hey, Ray!”

Through the door popped Lindsay, iPhone in hand. Ray looked up, eyebrow raised. “Yeah?”

She grinned as she held the phone up sideways, clearly to take a picture or video. “Do you and Joel wanna give us a picture for the web? Our fans are going to blow their minds out over this.”

Everyone looked at Ray, expecting him to grin and say sure, and their faces fell when he shook his head. “No,” he said, with an apologetic smile. “I don’t think Joel would like the publicity.”

Lindsay’s shoulders dropped, still holding the phone, and she nodded. “Okay, I get it. See you around.” With a quick wave, she turned and left.

“Not even a glance,” Michael grumbled in fake offense. “Some woman I’m engaged to.”

Baby steps, Ray thought, bringing up the footage for a video. Come out to the office today. Maybe in a few weeks they could tell the fans. It was a while before Michael and Lindsay said anything, and the redhead was casual as hell about proposing. Slow and steady might be a better approach to prevent a fan freak out and, consequently, a Joel freak out.


	4. Chapter 4

The day went on in similar fashion after that. Quiet work, sorting out videos, a few people coming in to ask Ray about the rumors. It didn’t take long for speculation to start. They might not be the first gay employees, but they were certainly the first to be open about it, and the women especially liked to gossip.

“Who asked out who? Or was it mutual?”

“I bet the sex is good with a hottie like Joel.”

“He’s a bit of a cradle robber, eh?”

Ray shrugged it off with jokes and took it all in stride. They had more visits to the AH office than usual that day, and it seemed every time he stepped out he was accosted. Ray could only wonder if Joel was experiencing similar issues.

The oddest part came when the end of the day neared. Michael left with Lindsay, and Jack and Ryan were gone. Gavin waited for Geoff to finish the last bit of work. Ray closed his programs and grabbed his jacket.   
“Hey, Ray, wait up.” Geoff held up a single finger, signaling to wait one moment, and stood. “I wanna talk to you.”

Ray nodded, knowing what Geoff would say as they left the room. If Joel’s boss gave him a speech on dating, Ray would be getting a similar talk. He said it himself, Geoff could act like a protective father to them when they needed it. Ray leaned against the wall, Geoff facing him with his arms crossed. “You and Joel are dating, and that means I have to bring up some stuff,” Geoff said without hesitation. “I already told the guys not to take the teasing too far.”

“I appreciate it,” Ray said with a smile.

“But,” Geoff continued, “the guys at the office might be more accepting than the general populace.” His eyes softened, and he removed one hand to give Ray a gentle pat on the shoulder. “I know it’s been going on a while, and people are gonna be dicks no matter what. If you want to talk to me, though, I’m open. I’m your boss, I want you to feel well enough to work.”

The warmth in his voice made Ray smile bigger. Geoff made fun of them and threatened to fire them on a daily basis, and he loved them like family. Thus far, they hadn’t gotten too much trouble for their relationship, taking a subtler route in case anyone from work should find out. Still, Ray was glad to know his boss supported him.

“Also,” Geoff said, “if Joel hurts you, I’m not against beating the shit out of one of the employees.”

“Hey!”

Both men turned to see Joel storming down the hall, anger evident on his face. Ray went to him and grabbed Joel’s hand to diffuse him. Joel stopped, relaxed slightly, though he still frowned at Geoff. “Did I just hear the same shit from you that I got from Burnie?”

Geoff shrugged, not intimidated. “I dunno, Joel, what’d I say?”

The older man sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose. “Nevermind. Let’s go home, Ray.”

“’Kay,” he answered, waving at Geoff as they walked past. He knew better than to argue with Joel at the moment.

When they were in the car and on the way home, Ray said, “You get wound up too easily.”

“I know.” Joel sighed, gripping the wheel tight in his hands. “I just don’t like everyone assuming that I’ll break up with you or something. It’s like they know we’re going to fail and it’s going to be my fault.”

“Hey, hey.” Ray touched his arm, rubbing gently. “We both know Geoff didn’t think it through like that, he’s doing the protective thing I mentioned. Chill.”

“Hmph.” Joel did not, in fact, chill, gripping the wheel tighter, knuckles strained under his skin. Ray was unsure what to do besides keep touching him gently with the hope his boyfriend would calm soon.

The night was spent watching financial news and eating silently. Joel wouldn’t even respond when Ray started kissing his neck, grunting appreciatively without much movement. Ray sighed, gave up eventually, strolling to bed. Joel watched him leave.

Ray felt him crawl into bed some time later, tucking his chin over Ray’s shoulder. “I’ll be better tomorrow,” Joel promised, placing tiny kisses to Ray’s temple. “Just need some time, all right?”

“Hm.” Ray turned to face him. “Don’t take what they say personally.”

“Nah.” Joel kissed him again, on the forehead, and pulled Ray tight into his embrace.

* * *

The difference that morning was great, Ray opening his eyes to see Joel smiling at him lazily from his spot on the pillow. Upon noticing him awake, Joel caught Ray in a kiss, fingers in his hair and hips pressing into him. “Geez,” Ray panted, when Joel pulled back, “what got into you?”

“Bad mood went away,” Joel said, and sat up to stretch.

They got ready for work, Joel kissing Ray again and again, not least in part to make up for his behavior, Ray thought. The day was hot as usual, Joel’s car already heated in the morning sun. He drove slow, caught in the morning traffic that nearly made them late.

It felt odd to kiss before they went to their respective offices. With no other employees in sight that moment, Joel lingered against Ray, hands trailing down his side, until the Puerto Rican had to push him off. “We have work,” he said with a laugh. Joel grinned, waved, and went down the hall to his own work space. Ray watched him leave, smiled at the air when he could no longer see him.

“Hey, Romeo, get in here.”

Ray turned to see Geoff in the Achievement Hunters’ door, eyebrow raised. He shrugged sheepishly and ducked in the room. Geoff rolled his eyes, following Ray in.

Trouble brewed again not much later.

Ray went to the break room to fetch a drink of water and hopefully a snack off anything that wasn’t labeled in the fridge. He met Matt, making himself a coffee. “Oh, hey, Ray.”

“Hey.” He reached into the cupboard to fetch a cup.

“So, uh. Joel, huh?”

“Oh.” Ray paused, continued filling his cup from the tap. “Yeah.”

Matt tapped his fingers on the counter. “You guys have been going out for a while?”

“Yes.” Ray huffed a little, tired of questions. Everyone was close in the office, and naturally nosy, but that didn’t give them the right to but in whenever they felt like it.

“Are you— are you worried?”

Ah, geez.

Ray turned to look at Matt. “Why should I be?”

Matt gulped, regretting what he said. “Well … Joel is kind of, you know. A ladies’ man. He doesn’t exactly have a solid reputation for long term commitments.”

“I’m not worried,” Ray said quickly. He dashed from the room with his water cup, forgoing the snack. There was work to be done and rude coworkers to avoid.

It didn’t make him all that mad, really. But after Joel’s reaction yesterday, the last thing Ray wanted was more news about people assuming Joel would break his heart. Did they have no faith in him? Joel wasn’t that much of a dick, even if his romance resume didn’t shine. Ray wasn’t great with relationships either, but they took a chance on something they both wanted.

The thoughts buzzed through his mind as Ray sat at his desk, slamming the cup of water, and returned to his editing. Everyone else in the room turned their heads, but said nothing.

The anger faded after a while. Ray sighed, leaned back in his chair. The clock told him it’d been barely an hour since he went to get a drink, which sat untouched beside him. He took a couple sips. Michael glanced at him, questioning. Ray smiled, waved him off. With his attention on the time now, though, Ray remembered forgetting his snack, and decided to get up again while a project file saved. He took the water with him to return the cup to the sink.

A couple minutes and a bag of chips later, Ray left the kitchen and promptly bumped into Joel, quite literally, letting out an ‘oof’ as he smacked into his chest.

“Whoa, hey.” Joel grabbed Ray’s shoulders to steady him. “Watch where you’re going there, kid.”

“Thanks.” Ray stood straight, adjusting his glasses. “Sorry, I was a bit out of it.”

“Oh yeah?” Joel tugged Ray from the kitchen door to stand near the wall. “Why’s that?”

Ray looked away, hesitant, and said, “Matt did the same thing everybody’s been doing. He asked if I was worried about you being a ladies’ man and shit.”

Joel frowned. “Fuck, what do I have to do to convince people I’m serious and not just taking you for a ride?”

Ray hugged him, arms around his neck and lips pressed to his cheek. “It’s fine. They can watch and be jealous when they see us making out on your desk.”

“Ew.” Joel pushed Ray back, smiling. “You know how I feel about PDA.”

Ray stuck his lip out in a little pout. Joel chuckled, leaned down to give him a proper kiss. Ray laughed with him, tangling his fingers in Joel’s hair as he got wrapped up in his scent.

“Woo!”

The men broke apart, glanced over to see Brandon and Chris grinning at them. “Keep it in the bedroom,” Brandon said. Joel blushed furiously, which Ray might have found cute if he didn’t know Joel hated being caught in public. They almost never kissed when people, let alone teasing friends, were around.

“I gotta get to work,” Joel muttered. He gave Ray one last touch to the shoulder, a silent goodbye, and dashed away. Ray glared at Chris and Brandon. “That sucked, you guys.”

At least they looked contrite when Ray called them out. “Sorry,” Chris said. “It’s just, we never get the chance to poke at Joel for that kind of stuff. It’s not like he ever brings girlfriends around. And you gotta admit.” Chris grinned. “That was pretty funny.”

Ray sighed, shook his head. “Please don’t do it again. Joel’s annoyed enough as it is about letting everyone know. How you guys have been acting has confirmed all his paranoid suspicions.” With that, he pushed past the two to get back to his office.


	5. Chapter 5

Joel flushed red all the way down the hall, slamming himself in his chair and picking up the first piece of paper he got his eye on to busy himself.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, this should not bother him as much as it did. He’d been dating Ray months. But he was so used to hiding it, to keeping things at home. And all the doubt swirling around them lately made him feel like a creep praying on an innocent kid.

How could everyone feel so sure about them? Why did they assume the worst? Joel never brought partners to the office, they had no idea what he was like around them, they shouldn’t be able to guess how he would treat Ray.

Joel’s eyes widened, setting the meaningless paper on the desk. Maybe that was the problem. No one knew what Joel was like in relationships, and the rumors about his prowess with women combined with their age difference made him look like he was just taking on another young fling. His coworkers wouldn’t know about the soft kisses and small touches they shared at home, how Joel was constantly telling Ray how lucky he was to have him.

Brows furrowed, Joel stared at his keyboard. The assumptions would stay as long as there was nothing to prove otherwise. It might be time for Joel to let them see his romantic side, the side that treasured his boyfriend and wouldn’t let him go for the world.

For now, work. Joel picked up the paper again to read it properly and actually deal with the tasks on his plate. But between papers, discussions with the others in his office area, and sorting out plans on his schedule, Joel found the time to pick up the phone and place a special order. Let his coworkers call his intentions shallow after they saw what was about to happen.

The couple made it through another day relatively unscathed. By the afternoon of their second day being out, the congratulations and cautious warnings Ray kept getting had faded, though the looks he got when he left to use the restroom and met a couple people on the way there and back riled him even more than getting caught by Chris and Brandon. He rushed to Joel the second he finished his last video and saved the file, muttering bye to everyone and meeting his boyfriend in his office. Without a word, Ray tugged the man from his chair, pulling him into a tight hug. “Let’s go home,” Ray begged, arms tight around Joel’s neck.

“Uh— yeah, sure.” Joel returned the gesture, burying his face in Ray’s hair. Screw the stares they were getting; moments like this could only help Joel’s case.

* * *

Thankfully, both calmed when they got home, and their stress melted the second they crossed over the threshold of the front door. Ray grabbed Joel again to kiss him, harsh and needy. “I know why you were pissed,” he muttered against his lips. “I’m not so sure we should’ve come out, anymore.”

Joel returned the kiss, hands on Ray’s hips. At his words, his heart twinged. Ray hated hiding himself. Joel had to end the idiotic speculations at Rooster Teeth as soon as he could. When Ray kissed him again, his hands moved to his upper thighs, hoisting the man to his waist. Ray yelped in shock, giggled, wrapped his legs around Joel’s hips automatically. The older man bent to press kisses and small bites to Ray’s neck as he walked them to the bedroom, determined to forget their worries.

Ray was dumped unceremoniously on the bed, laughing, breathing hard. Joel made quick work of his shirt, tossed it in the corner, and climbed on with Ray. A hand came up, tenderly removing his glasses to set them on the nightstand. Ray looked even younger than usual without them, brown eyes shining. Joel pressed a hand to his cheek, drawing Ray to him.

As was typical, the moment Ray got his arms around Joel’s neck, the struggle for dominance began. He tried to push the man over, and Joel relented, letting Ray straddle his waist and start mouthing at his chest, licking and biting over the strong muscles. Joel groaned appreciatively. However, he much preferred Ray writhing beneath him, and so hoisted him back up to face level and tossed him on the pillows within a few minutes. Ray pouted, and Joel covered the sour expression with another kiss, tongue brushing Ray’s lips, relishing the way he sighed and opened himself to Joel. Ray’s hips pressed up, rutting against Joel a few times, both men gasping at the friction. “Fuck, you are hot,” Joel muttered, nosing at Ray’s collar. “Let’s get these damn clothes off.”

They made quick work of it, soon naked, panting, eying one another’s bodies hungrily. Yes, Joel much preferred this to the environment in the office. He gathered Ray’s wrists in one hand, not to pin them, just to prevent Ray from touching excessively as Joel moved to his hips, biting at the skin over his hip bone and smiling like a Cheshire cat at the wanton noise Ray made. “What is it you want, sweetheart?”

Ray flexed his fingers, wanting to card his hands through Joel’s hair, unable to break the strong grasp on his wrists. “Touch me,” he said, thrusting his hips into the air.

Joel loved it when Ray pleaded, so he listened, placing a hand on one thigh, pressing his mouth there. Ray’s body was so different from the women in his past, and Joel reveled in it. His legs quivered at the kisses and nips running up and down, until Joel got bored and settled himself in front of his cock, which by now was hard and throbbing. Fuck Joel and his fucking teasing, Ray thought, head thrown back on the pillow as Joel gave his cock a single swipe of his tongue and drew back again. “You have to tell me, Ray,” he singsonged, his free hand kneading the area on Ray’s leg he’d just molested.

“Ungh, you know what I want, you prick.” Ray glared as well as he could, expression clouded by lust. “Fucking suck my cock.”

Good enough for Joel. He smirked, licked Ray’s cock once more, flicking the tip and enjoying the way Ray squirmed. He let go of Ray’s hands to get a better control on his balance, one hand on each side of Ray to hold him down as Joel tongued his prick, closing his mouth over the tip. Ray groaned and thrust. Joel made a displeased noise, pulling back. “Careful, there,” he warned. “I’m not the young stallion I used to be, I gotta get used to a cock before I can swallow it down the way you like.”

Ray barked a laugh, because he knew as well as Joel that he was his first boyfriend and Ray had to take several of the nights when they were first dating to teach him about properly sucking dicks. The lessons paid off, though, as Joel proved when he took Ray’s cock in his mouth once more and licked the head before sucking hard, wet lips stretched in such an obscene way that it should be illegal for Ray to get so turned on just at the sight of it.

Ray’s cock wasn’t particularly big, but it still impressed him every time Joel deep throated like it was nothing, cheeks hallowing around his prick to get as much sensation as possible. He groaned, resisted the urge to thrust again and risk choking Joel.

All too soon the man pulled away, lips covered in saliva and Ray’s precome. Ray shot up the moment he released his hips, dragging Joel up with him to kiss him hard, ignoring the taste of himself. Joel smiled against his lips. “Somebody’s eager,” he purred.

“Shut up.” Ray kissed him again, tension melting in Joel’s warmth and affection. The older man laid him down once more, fingers running like feathers over his skin, tickling and arousing. Joel moved to kiss his neck, biting gently to make light marks, hickies forbidden by them because it would give them both away to others. It occurred to him now that such a rule was pointless, moving to the dip between Ray’s collarbone and neck, sucking the skin hard. Ray gasped, hands flying to Joel’s hair the way he wanted to do before. As he worked a possessive bruise, Joel’s hand wandered down and took a hold of Ray’s dick. Ray sucked in his breath deliciously.

After the previous work up and the attentions he was getting now, it took about a minute before Ray stopped breathing altogether as he came hard, staining Joel’s hand and his own stomach. “Ungh, fuck,” he whispered when he let himself take in air again.

“Feel better?” Joel pulled away, satisfied with the bright red on Ray’s skin that would surely be a deep purple by morning. Fuck anyone who said he didn’t love Ray, he’d pepper him in love marks if the sex would prove anything to them. But that was the thing they were concerned most about, so Joel tucked the idea of covering Ray in hickies and bruises for a time when they had a few days alone together.

“Yeah,” Ray panted, settling into the pillows. His head snapped up when he remembered Joel, staring rather hungrily at his still hard cock. “You look like you could use some help.”

“This was about you,” he said, pecking Ray’s cheek. “I’ll take care of myself.”

“Well, fuck that.” Ray sat up, fighting the urge to lay in the sheets and immediately fall asleep. Surprisingly, Joel let him, too turned on to refuse Ray when he took Joel in hand and squeezed once. His thumb ran over the head, spreading Joel’s precome before he started stroking.

“Mm.” Joel hummed, thrusting shallowly into Ray’s hand, easily accepting his boyfriend’s determination to get him off. He thought he would let Ray sleep and go to the bathroom to finish himself off afterward, but this was nice too.

He came easy, leaned over to the nightstand where Ray’s glasses lay and grabbed a couple tissues from a box. When enough of the come was cleaned that it wouldn’t be a bitch to get the stains out of the sheets, Joel threw the tissues to the trash, only one landing in and the other bouncing off the rim. He shrugged it off; it was time for bed.

The older man gathered Ray in his arms, settling them on their sides and tucking the blanket over their waists. “Goodnight, Ray,” he said, pressing a tender kiss to his forehead.

“’Night.” Ray wrapped his arms around Joel’s neck, snuggling into the warmth of his chest. “Love you.”

Joel smiled. “I love you too, sweetheart.”

* * *

The afterglow of sex could only last so long. For possibly the first time he could remember, Ray woke up dreading work. The dream job he worked years and risked his own health on unemployment for now made his stomach churn with dread. He flipped from his right side to his left to face Joel, who had woken some time ago and was watching the news on the tiny TV in his bedroom. “Oh, you’re awake.” He smiled and pressed a tender kiss to Ray’s forehead.

“Yeah.” Ray sighed, head resting on Joel’s chest. “I don’t really want to go to work today.”

Joel pulled a face. “Me neither. But we should go in anyway.”

Ray knew he was right, and so dragged himself out from the warm sheets to shower and dress. Joel followed soon after, making them an easy breakfast of eggs and toast. Ray quirked an eyebrow at the gesture, as Joel rarely had the energy to cook for himself, much less both of them, and often ate cold leftovers in the morning. Joel just smiled and kissed him again.

They drove to work, Joel keeping his weirdly pleasant mood. Eventually Ray asked, “Was the sex last night that great? ‘Cuz you didn’t even fuck me.”

He shrugged. “Sex is always great, but I’m feeling good for other reasons.”

Ray frowned. Joel didn’t explain further.

It continued as they got out of the vehicle and Joel grabbed Ray’s hand, quick and eager. “No, seriously,” Ray said. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing.” Joel rubbed his thumb across the back of Ray’s palm.

Kara waved at them as they came in, beaming. She was one of the few who said almost nothing about them, aside from gossiping with a few other girls about their sex life, which didn’t bother Ray nearly as much. He tried to pull his hand away from Joel to say goodbye as they parted to their respective offices.

“I’ll walk you in,” Joel said, keeping Ray’s hand tight in his own.

“It’s five feet away,” Ray deadpanned.

Joel just pulled him to the Achievement Hunter door and gestured for Ray to enter as he held it open. Ray snorted, Joel finally letting go of him while he made his way inside.

The younger man stopped short at the first sight that caught his eyes. His vision was assaulted with red in the normally green room, a moment later registering as a ridiculously enormous bouquet of at least two or three dozen roses, arranged artfully on his desk, with a decorative card stuck out from a plastic holder in the center. The rest of the boys were already in the room, Ray and Joel having eaten a slow breakfast and taken their time sauntering in, and they all wore impish grins.

Ray blushed, hard. He glanced back at Joel, who leaned against the wall by the door with a lazy, proud smile. “Um.” Ray looked at the bouquet again. “What is this?” he managed.

“Read the card,” his smug boyfriend prompted.

So he did, slipping between the chairs of his friends, who continued to look amused and neglected paying attention to any of the work Ray knew they should be doing. He picked up the card, covered in generic flower prints around the edges. Attached to it was the business card of the flower shop. Ray tossed it on the desk, opened the envelope with the actual message. Inside, a thick paper covered with, unsurprisingly, a rose pattern. What caught him off guard was a drawing in the corner of a generic Tuxedo Mask, not quite catching the image of the character, but recognizable nonetheless.

The printed message read, If our coworkers think I’m keeping you around as a hot piece of ass (which you are), I’ll do my best to show them how much I really love you.

The blush came back worse than before. Ray fumbled to put the message back in its envelope and face Joel, who had moved into the room and stood behind Michael’s chair. “Everybody here is acting stupidly protective of you, and I’m the only one allowed to act that way.” He drew Ray close, kissed his forehead, nose, and lips in quick succession. “Have a good day, sweetheart,” he said, like they did this every day. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

“Uh, yeah.” Ray flicked to the roses and back. “Thanks, Joel. A lot.”

“No problem.” Joel smiled, moved back, flashed a wave, and left the room.

Geoff burst out laughing the minute Joel was gone. “Jesus,” he gasped, “Was it was that fucking bad? He looked pissed yesterday, I didn’t think he’d get all Romeo on your ass. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that sappy.”

Ray shot a glare. “You didn’t help with that.”

“I helped get you roses, didn’t I?” Geoff waggled his eyebrows. “Having a protective boss pays off sometimes, huh?”

“Shut up.” Ray turned away, stared at the roses. He had no place to put these. But, despite Geoff’s teasing and the new space issue with his desk, he was happy. Maybe Joel wasn’t entirely comfortable yet, but if being public got him roses and kisses in the office, Ray would do his best to reciprocate until the rumors about them didn’t even matter.


End file.
